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Who's Who - Emperor Franz Josef I

Franz Josef I (1830-1916), Emperor of
Austria and King of Hungary was born on 18 August 1830, the eldest son of
Archduke Franz Karl, the brother and heir of Emperor Ferdinand I.

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Franz Josef became
heir-apparent after his father renounced his right to the crown, becoming
Emperor of Austria in 1848 at the age of 18 following Ferdinand's abdication
towards the end of the Hungarian revolution of that year.

Already in decline as a
major power, with Franz Josef quickly losing the war with the French soon
after his accession in 1848, Austria's influence further declined
throughout Franz Josef's reign, for a variety of reasons.

Austria's relationship with
Russia was irreparably damaged as a consequence of Austria's withholding of
support during the Anglo-Russian Crimean War of 1853-56, a factor in the
July Crisis of 1914. Ultimately Russia entered into an alliance with
France and Britain ranged against Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy,
feeling no lingering loyalty to Austria-Hungary.

In addition, Italy's
growing strength following its reunification led to the loss of almost all
of Austria's Italian possessions, including Lombardy and Venetia.

Finally, and perhaps most
importantly, Germany's rise to dominance following its successful war with
Austria in 1866 and its reunification under
Bismarck in 1871, rendered
Austria the junior of the two Germanic powers.

Meanwhile, Franz Josef had
to deal with Hungary's growing demands for autonomy. After
negotiation, the two nations agreed to create a dual monarchy in which both
were equal partners; the empire of Austria-Hungary was therefore established
in 1867. Franz Josef was its monarch, serving alongside his wife
Elisabeth whom he married in 1853 (and who was regarded by many Hungarians
as their true monarch). Elisabeth played a role in the discussions
that resulted in the shared power arrangements.

Under the terms of the
compromise agreement Hungary retained control of its own internal affairs.
In matters pertaining to foreign affairs the two countries would act
together.

Now that he served as dual
monarch, Franz Josef announced his intention of granting a form of
self-government to Austria's Slav population. However he was
frustrated in this by the German and Magyar politicians who effectively ran
the empire, and who adamantly opposed any extension of power-sharing to
include the Slavs.

Franz Josef's failure to
enact change led to increased dissatisfaction among Austrian Czechs and
Serbs, as well as causing a further straining of relations with Russia, the
natural champion of the Slav peoples.

Tragedy struck Franz
Josef's immediate family in the 1880s and 1890s. His only son,
Archduke Rudolf, committed suicide in 1889. His brother, Karl Ludwig,
died in 1896 from an illness incurred from drinking infected water during a
pilgrimage to the Holy Lands. Finally his wife, Elisabeth, was
assassinated in Geneva in 1898 by an Italian anarchist.

The issue of succession to
Franz Josef's throne was complex. With Rudolf's suicide, next in line
for the succession was Franz Josef's younger brother Maximilian. He
had however been shot by a Mexican firing squad in 1867 following an
unsuccessful three-year reign as Emperor of Mexico. Therefore his dead
brother Karl Ludwig's eldest son,
Franz Ferdinand, emerged as heir.

Franz Josef had little
affection for Franz Ferdinand, disapproving of the man himself, and of his
marriage to Sophie Chotek von Chotkova, whom he considered below Ferdinand's
rank. Ferdinand's marriage only went ahead after he agreed to renounce
all rights of his children to succeed him as Emperor; even this agreement
was extracted from Franz Josef following representations by the German
Kaiser, Wilhelm II, and the Russian Tsar,
Nicholas II. Even so, he
neither attended Ferdinand's marriage nor, following his assassination in
Sarajevo on 28 June 1914, his funeral.

Despite his dislike of
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Franz Josef accepted the advice of his
foreign minister, Leopold von Berchtold, in first issuing an unacceptable
ultimatum to Serbia, and then declaring war after Serbia quibbled with one
of Austria-Hungary's demands. Franz Josef left the conduct of the war
strictly to his military officials, although by 1916 he believed victory to
be impossible and the break-up of his empire likely.

The last significant
Habsburg monarch, remaining popular to the end of his life, Emperor Franz
Josef died on 21 November 1916 after reigning for 66 years. His
grand-nephew, Karl I, assumed the throne until 1918 as the last Habsburg
monarch.

Click here to hear
Franz Josef give a speech (recorded in December 1915) in favour of a
military fund established to assist Austrian widows and orphans.

Click
here to view film footage of Franz Josef taken shortly before the
outbreak of war in 1914.

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Saturday, 22 August, 2009Michael Duffy

"Hun" was a slang term used by the allies, to describe the Germans. "Boche" was another.